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Minister not discouraged by new BJD case

Ag Minister John McVeigh says his department will continue to ensure Queensland maintains a protected status in relation to BJD.

Cassie Hough

Agriculture Minister John McVeigh says he is confident his department is working towards the eradication of Bovine Johne's Disease in Queensland despite the discovery of another confirmed case.

It's the sixth positive result since the original outbreak in November last year, with the latest case found on a property outside Rockhampton.

With outstanding tests still to be performed on properties traced forward from the original outbreak, Mr McVeigh warned there may still be more cases, but despite this eradication is still possible.

"There are some producers from the original round who are still grappling with their property disease investigation plans. There is ongoing work to be done and that means my department must remain vigilant," he says.

"It's about us remaining on top of the disease which does, quite frankly, pop up from time to time."

43 properties have so far been linked to the most recent case and will be facing movement restrictions and quarantines.

Minister McVeigh says he is not concerned this case was discovered so long after the original one.

"It shows that we are comprehensive and the ongoing testing will uncover cases such as this," he says.

He says it should be an easier case to contain, given the cattle are a part of a commercial herd rather than a cattle stud.

"We understand the majority of cattle from this particular property, being a commercial herd, have well and truly been sent to slaughter so that will reduce the impacts quite significantly."

He says biosecurity staff are already on the ground in central Queensland working directly with those affected.

"They'll be talking to the owners of the infected property but also they'll be looking at the trace forwards and talking to those producers to determine what happened to those animals and what impact that will have," he says.